Cubs Lose Two Players to Injury Before Opening Day
Over the last couple of seasons, bullpen issues have been a thorn in the side of the Chicago Cubs bids for serious contention, with manager Craig Counsell scrambling to piece together a patchwork collection of healthy and reliable arms where there were few. The 2026 season is still weeks away, but bullpen issues are already plaguing the Cubs as they announced that two expected contributors will start the season on the IL.
Those two arms, left-hander Jordan Wicks and right-hander Porter Hodge , were not necessarily back-end pitchers for the Cubs bullpen, but their injuries make Counsell's job considerably harder as he may have to call upon arms with little major league experience far earlier in the season than expected.
Both pitchers have a colorful history of injuries, as most pitchers in modern baseball do. Wicks, 26, missed significant time in his 2024 season with a left forearm strain and a right oblique strain, throwing just 46 innings with a 7.50 ERA in 18 innings after returning from the 60-day IL. Hodge, 25, endured two IL stints in the 2025 season, one for a left oblique strain and another for a right shoulder impingement. It was not especially surprising, then, when Counsell announced this morning that they would both start the season on the IL (h/t Elise Menaker of Marquee Sports Network).
Perhaps most notable in this pair of updates is the fact that each pitcher is dealing with an injury on his throwing arm, as the Cubs will likely be cautious in easing them back to health so as not to risk more serious injuries that could jeopardize the long-term health of their arms.
A former first-round draft pick for the Cubs, Wicks has pitched in parts of three major-league seasons for Chicago to varying degrees of success, showing flashes of ability but never for an extended stretch of time. Wicks has seen work as both a starter and a reliever, with the Cubs employing him as a multi-inning bridge between the starter and the back of the bullpen in 2025. He has a 5.21 ERA over 96 innings pitched for the Cubs.
Hodge, on the other hand, was selected by the Cubs in the 13th round of the 2019 draft as a high-schooler out of Utah, and ended up a developmental surprise for the Cubs as he burst onto the scene with a 1.88 ERA in 43 innings pitched in his 2024 rookie season. His stock is down after an injury-married 2025, but the young arm still has a path to high-leverage innings if he can stay healthy.
Until Wicks and Hodge recover, the Cubs may have to lean on a minor league arm or two from their 40-man roster to open the season. RHP Jack Neely and LHP Riley Martin are two such candidates, though Neely's major league experience consists of six innings pitched and Martin's major league experience is nonexistent.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
